< Psalms 84 >
1 Lord, you who are the Commander of the armies of angels, your temple is very beautiful!
[For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah.] How lovely are your dwellings, Jehovah of hosts.
2 I [SYN] would like to be there; Yahweh, I desire that very much [DOU]. With all of my inner being I sing joyfully to you, the all-powerful God.
My soul longs, yes, yearns for the courts of Jehovah. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3 Even sparrows and swallows have built nests [near your temple, where you protect them] [DOU]; they take care of their young babies near the altars [where people offer sacrifices to] you, who are the commander of the armies of heaven, and my king and my God.
Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, near your altars, Jehovah of hosts, my King, and my God.
4 (Happy are/You are pleased with) those who (live/continually worship) in your temple, constantly singing to praise you.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are ever praising you. (Selah)
5 Happy are those who [know that] you are the one who causes them to be strong, those who strongly desire to (make the trip/go) to Zion [Hill].
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
6 While they travel through the [dry] Baca Valley, [you cause] it to become a place where there are springs of water, where the rains (in the autumn/before the cold season) fill the valley with pools of water.
Passing through the Valley of Baca, he makes it into a spring. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
7 [As a result, those who travel through there] become stronger/refreshed [knowing that] they will appear in your presence (on Zion [Hill]/in Jerusalem).
They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.
8 Yahweh, commander of the armies of heaven, listen to my prayer; God, who [is worshiped by us (descendants of] Jacob/Israeli people), hear [IDM] what I am saying!
Jehovah, the God of hosts, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. (Selah)
9 God, be kind to [IDM] our king, the one who protects us [MTY], the one whom you have chosen [MTY] [to rule us].
Look, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.
10 [For me], spending one day in your temple is better than spending 1,000 days somewhere else; [standing] at the entrance to your temple, [ready to go inside], is better than living in the tents/homes where wicked [people live].
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 Yahweh our God is [like] the sun [that shines on us] and [like] a shield [that protects us] [MET]; he is kind to [us] and honors [us]. Yahweh does not refuse to give any good thing/blessing to those who do what is right.
For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield. Jehovah will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
12 Yahweh, commander of the armies of heaven, (happy are/you are pleased with) those who trust in you!
Jehovah of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you.